Your Song
by Riza Hawkeye
Summary: Getting pregnant at sixteen wasn't a part of her plans for the future, but then again neither was letting a petite diva with dreams of Broadway into her life. Main Faberry with as side of Brittana maybe others... Takes place during the first season, with heavy focus on Quinn's pregnancy (will have canon elements, but does not follow canon).
1. No Place to Call Home

I'm testing the waters with this fic (so to speak). I've had this idea in my head for a little bit and while I'm trying to focus on my other stories in progress, this one just wouldn't let me concentrate on my other stories, so I just had to get this out. So I'm putting this out to get some feedback on if this worth me devoting time to as well. So please R&R and let me know :)

Note : "_" = talking '_' = thoughts

Disclaimer – Yeah, I don't own Glee, because if I did it would be far better show and I'd have the guts to explore a relationship that has so much subtext, it's cruel to deny it exists.

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Chapter 1 – No Place to Call Home  
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Quinn lay on her bed, still in her Cheerios uniform from school, too tired to change out of it. School today was disastrous, slushied in the morning by Karofsky, who loudly announced her pregnancy in the middle of hallway…

~**flashback**~

Quinn walked hand in hand with her boyfriend Finn Hudson down the hallway for McKinley high school. She had to stifle a yawn as he went on about some _awesome kill streak_ he had achieve the night before on some military game she could really care less about. She smiled and nodded at all the right moments, like the dutiful girlfriend, but really she just wanted him to stop talking about kill things in some virtual world, it was giving her a headache and she had enough to deal with. They turned down the hallway to their lockers, when someone suddenly blocked their way. It happened so quickly, there wasn't even enough time to react…

Quinn gasped as the cold liquid struck her face. She tried to close her eyes, but wasn't fast enough because she could feel her eyes burning as the foreign liquid got her eyes, making them sting painfully. She already felt disgustingly sticky from the heavy syrup used in the drink. She was too shocked to say anything or even move initially, but she wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what happened, she just didn't know the culprit.

"What's the deal man?" Finn asked in shock, dropping Quinn's arm from his.

"The deal? The deal is that you're secret's out, Fabray." Karofsky said smugly.

Quinn's eyes widened and she unconsciously backed away, 'How can he know?'

"Miss President of the Celibacy Club isn't setting a very good example." He sneered, turning his attention to the blonde cheerleader, before laughing. "Getting knocked up at sixteen knocks you off the top of the pyramid doesn't it, Preggo?" He exclaimed, causing those who hadn't stopped to watch the slushy attack to stop and watch the scene going on.

Quinn could feel her cheeks burning as she reared her right hand back and slapped Karofsky as hard as she could. She sprinted off to find the nearest bathroom, before Karofsky could regain his senses.

~**end flashback**~

'I didn't think so many people actually read his blog.' She thought to herself, which brought her to her next humiliation …

~**flashback**~

Quinn shoved open the bathroom door with a satisfying boom. The loud noise made some girl who was fixing her makeup in the mirror jump. Even covered in sticky syrup Quinn stared down the confused girl, "Get…out." She said dangerously, prompting the frightened girl to run out of the bathroom. She kept her features hardened until she heard the door click shut. She immediately turned to the sink and turned on the water, cupping her hands under the running water and splashing her face. She hazarded a glance at herself in the mirror above the sink. Her face was still smeared with red syrup and her hair looked even worse. 'I look disgusting.' She thought and reached up to touch her hair. She cringed at how sticky it felt, 'I feel disgusting…' She thought and closed her eyes tightly as she felt them fill with unwanted tears.

"You need to get that out of your hair, before it gets worse."

Quinn froze, she didn't even realize someone else had entered the bathroom until they spoke and from the first word, she knew exactly who was in the bathroom with her and she couldn't help thinking that God must really hate her. She quickly reached over and grabbed a couple paper towels and dried her face before turning to the intruder, "What do you want Rupaul?" She asked, venom just dripping off her words.

Rachel didn't even flinch at the other girl's insult, "I saw what happened with Karofsky." She said and grabbed a handful of paper towels herself. "I've become something of an expert when it comes to cleaning up after a slushy attack and I thought you could maybe use a hand because I know how hard it can be to get out, especially the first time."

"Why do you care? This should make you happy. It seems karma is finally coming back to get me." Quinn said and turned away from Rachel, not wanting her to see how hurt she was. She leaned over the sink and firmly held on to the sides of the porcelain for support as her body shook. She distantly heard water running, but she choose to ignore it and the other girl. The water stopped after a few seconds, shortly afterward Quinn saw a hand in front of her holding some dampened paper towels.

"It's easier to get it off with these." Rachel said simply. The tiny diva didn't say anything for a short time, but Quinn could feel her eyes were still on her. "Do you have another uniform you change into or at least another top?"

"You would like that wouldn't you, freak." Quinn snapped at the other girl angrily.

Rachel put her hands on her hips as she said, "I'm just trying to help you here, so can you put aside your aversion of me and accept it? I know you may not believe it, but I consider you my friend, I consider everyone in glee my friend and a friend helps out their friends."

"We're not friends and I don't want your help." She said and strode past Rachel, not missing the hurt on her face as she walked past her intent on heading to the Cheerios personal locker room.

~**end flashback**~

Quinn could feel am uncomfortable knot in her stomach as she thought about that interaction with Rachel. She'd been overly harsh to the girl and as had become common place she felt like shit after the fact and yet she still continued to be cruel to her, like she couldn't stop herself. Rachel always just takes whatever she dishes out, but the hurt she saw on the brunette's face at that time…it was hard to forget. She didn't know if guilt was a symptom of pregnancy, but it sure felt like it to her.

Her day only took a turn for the worse, when she learned that her boyfriend told his mother about her pregnancy…

~**flashback**~

Quinn had just finished putting her history book away, when a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind. She grimaced inwardly. She really didn't want to feel suffocated in his arms, so she put her hand on one of her arms and freed herself. She closed her locker and turned around, giving him a peek on his lips before leaning against her locker. "Hey, Finn."

"Sorry I didn't do more this morning, you know with Karofsky…" He said, mumbling the last part of his sentence.

She froze for a second, not really wanting to remember the incident, but she came to her senses after a few seconds, "I can handle Karofsky." Quinn said as confidently as she could.

Finn let out an audible sigh, "Oh good, cause you know he's a linebacker and he'd totally kill me in practice." Quinn couldn't suppress a glare at that comment, causing Finn to clearly become uneasy, "Uh…yeah…so there is something I should probably tell you…" He said trailing off.

Quinn eyed him curiously, he was nervous, she could tell and worry washed over her about what he was going to tell her, "W-What is it Finn?"

He rubbed the back of his head, another sign that he was nervous, "Well, I was in my room singing to myself. Actually, I was singing to a picture…you know the one you gave me of the…sonogram. Well, I didn't realize it, but my mom had come in at that time and I kinda told her about…you know the baby."

Quinn looked horrified at his confession, 'How could he be so stupid?' "What if she tells someone? What if my parents find out?"

"She won't tell anyone Quinn, I promise. Besides, she said she'd be supportive of us." Finn said, trying to sound reassuring.

Quinn took a step away from him and shook her head, "Do you have any idea what'll happen if my parents find out like this? They'll kill me."

Finn took a step toward his girlfriend, making up the distance she had created, "Come on Quinn it'll be fine, I promise."

"You can't promise me anything…especially when you can't keep it." Quinn said and took another step away from him as he reached out to her with his hand. "I need you to leave me alone for a little while, Finn." She said taking one more step, before turning away from him, hoping this would conclude their conversation, but of course nothing was going her way today.

"Come on Quinn, they're going to have to find out eventually."

"And why do you think you get to decide when that is?" Quinn spun around and asked.

"Maybe because I'm the dad." He replied as the warning bell sounded, for the final period of the day.

Quinn took a deep breath to try to control her emotions, only being partially successful, "We are not going to have this conversation in a hallway at school. I am not happy with you right now, so if you know what's good for you, you'll go to class without another word just like I'm about to." She said and turned around again, thankful to not hear another word from her boyfriend.

~**end flashback**~

She knew Finn wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but she thought he had enough brains to keep this to himself, but of course she was wrong there. She sighed and recalled her last incident at school…skipping out on one of the things she really did love…glee. Of course, that ended up resulting in one more altercation with Berry.

~**flashback**~

Quinn was nearly successfully out of the building, when God decided to add a cherry atop her already horrible day.

"Quinn…"

She didn't know why she bothered to stop, maybe she was a glutton for punishment? So, of course she turned around and faced the tiny diva.

"Aren't you going to come to glee?"

"No." Quinn said simply and turned around again. As she started to walk again, she heard the other girl speak up again.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. No one in glee will judge you. You don't have to be afraid of rejection or anything in there, we'll stand behind you. I know that you're scared about what will happen now…"

Quinn shook her head before the brunette could finish a cut her off, "You have no idea. You don't know what I'm feeling."

Rachel bowed her head slightly before looking resolute as her eye connected with Quinn's, "I'll admit that I don't know what it's like to be in your exact position, but that doesn't mean that I don't understand you are feeling. I know exactly how it feels to be on the bottom of the social ladder, to be slushied…"

The blonde cheerleader looked down at the mention of being slushied. She had to ease the guilt she felt, so she did something she never thought she'd do, she apologized to Rachel Berry. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I just wanted to properly apologize." Quinn said and looked down, frowning slightly, 'the knot is still there'.

Rachel shook her head, "It's okay, you were just lashing out, I know that and I just happened to be the one in the closest proximity to you at the time."

Quinn bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything to refute that, because she knew it wasn't completely true. Rachel was always her target. From the moment she met her, she had an unnatural and truly unfounded desire to pick on the petite diva. 'Who am I kidding? I've gone far past picking on her, I bully her.' She thought shamefully. She could feel her eyes fill with tears once again; she was really beginning to hate how she felt like her emotions were constantly in overdrive. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She quickly wiped away the tears that escaped her eyes before opening them again and focusing on the girl in front of her once more. She was about to speak when her eyes locked with Rachel's and the words caught in her throat. 'Why do her eyes have to be so pleading…and caring?'

Rachel took a step toward the cheerleader as she spoke again, "Please just come to glee. I promise you won't regret it, everyone just wants to show you that they want to support you, well you and Finn."

Hearing her boyfriend's name brought her back to reality, prompting her to close her eyes turn around, "I can't. If this gets back to my parents, they'll burn me at the stack. I have to make sure they don't know." She said and began to walk away one more time, with no intention of stopping this time.

"Quinn…"

The blonde cheerleader faintly heard Rachel say her name, but she didn't even hesitate this time, she simply kept walking.

~**end flashback**~

'Why did she have to be so damn nice?' She asked herself and turned on to her side. Her vision blurred causing her to reach up and clear her vision with her hand angrily, 'I don't deserve her kindness.' She thought bitterly. Her eyes stubbornly filled with tears again. She didn't bother trying to do anything to stem her tears this time, since it likely wasn't worth it. She simply continued to lie there, until a wave of nausea hit her. She quickly got up and rushed into her bathroom, which was on suite to her room, thankfully.

Quinn used an arm to brace herself as she leaned over the toilet and emptied her stomach. She cringed afterward and touched her stomach with her free hand, still feeling queasy. 'Whoever thought of the term morning sickness, they were full of it. It's more like any time of the day sickness…' She thought bitterly, when she felt it.

She frowned as her hand found the small bump in her abdominal region. It was small, barely noticeable really, but it was there, a cold reminder of worst mistake in her life. She flushed the toilet and went over to the sink. She washed her hands and filled a disposable cup with water and drank it, in an effort to get the sickening taste out of her mouth. It took a couple more cups before she was satisfied. She was about to leave the bathroom, when she paused in front of her full body mirror. She turned to the side and examined herself, 'You can't even tell yet.' She thought to herself. She hiked up her uniform top and exposed her stomach, before looking at herself again. She could see the small bump clearly without her clothes obscuring anything. She touched her baby bump and smiled sadly, "I'm so sorry that you weren't the result of better circumstances. I wish…" She stopped, hearing the door to her room being opened. She hastily pulled down her top and stepped out of the bathroom. Quinn saw her mother standing in the doorway, looking even more inebriated than when she got home.

"Y-Your…Your father wants to speak to you….downstairs."

Quinn nodded, "Alright, I'll be down in a few moments, I just need to wash my hands, mother." She went back into the bathroom and turned on the sink, washing her hands as she said she was going to do. When she stepped back into her room, her door was still open, but her mother wasn't there any longer, though she didn't really expect her to be. She took a deep breath and proceeded to exit her room to see what her father wanted.

She made her way downstairs and headed into the living room, where she saw her father pacing in front of the sofa her mother was sitting on. An overwhelming sense of fear struck her as she set foot in the same room as her parents. She looked at her mother one more time, before focusing on her father, "You wanted to see me, father?"

Russell Fabray stopped and looked over to the entryway, "Yes, there's something I want to ask you about."

The teen took a small step forward, "What is it Daddy?"

He grimaced as his daughter addressed him, "So, I happened to paying for gas at the gas station down the street and ran into Mrs. Hudson…"

Quinn blanched at the name, 'Please…don't tell me…please.'

"She told me the most preposterous thing…" He paused for a moment and studied his daughter. He laughed humorlessly before speaking again, "She seemed to believe that you pregnant."

Quinn stared at her father, unable to find her voice. 'How could this happen so fast? What am I going say?' She could feel her eyes were swimming with unshed tears, but she still couldn't speak, she felt like she was suffocating, her chest felt tight and she was sure she was close to hyperventilating. 'Why? Why was this happening?'

"Is it true, are you pregnant?" Russell asked angrily. "ANSWER ME!"

Quinn jumped slightly at her father's booming voice. She was truly always scared of the man in front of her, but at that moment she was downright terrified of him. She took an unconscious step back and painfully swallowed the lump in her throat, "Y-Yes." She said barely a whisper, but she knew he would hear her.

"You sinful little slut!" He yelled cruelly, he appeared to shake in rage as he spoke again, "Get out of my house!"

Quinn looked at her father as she tried to control her tears, "D-Daddy I…"

He stepped closer to his daughter, "GET OUT!" Russell roared and raised his arm.

Quinn immediately flinched away from her father. She closed her eyes tightly, expecting to be struck, but after a couple seconds she didn't feel anything, so she hazarded opening her eyes. Her father had his arm extended and his forefinger pointing at the front door. His arm was shaking, as was his other arm that was firmly at his side. She took a step back from him, not knowing what stopped him from hitting her, but from the looks of him she didn't want to push her luck further. She looked over to her mother sitting on the sofa across from her, but she didn't even to want to look at her, having her eyes fixated on the carpet beneath her feet. Quinn struggled to hold back a sob as she took a step toward the house's front door. This wasn't her house anymore; her parents had made that abundantly clear.

"C-Can I at least get some of my things?" The teen asked apprehensively. She looked between her parents, hoping for some kind of response. She was surprised to see her father move toward the sofa her mother sat on and take a seat.

Russell leaned forward and held his face in his hands for a moment before his eyes focused on his daughter again, "Ten minutes. You have ten minutes to get your stuff and then I want you out of my house. I don't want to ever see you again, you or that sinful thing inside of you." He said and returned to the same position he had when he sat down.

Quinn bit her lip painfully and ran upstairs as fast her legs would carry her. As soon as she made it to the top of the stairs, the dam finally broke. She could barely see what she was doing, but she knew she had to hurry. As soon as she entered her room she grabbed her Cheerios duffle bag and immediately went to her dresser and emptied the top drawers of her bras and panties, when her phone beeped, alerting her to a text message. Out of habit more than anything she pulled out her phone and looked at it. She squeezed the small object tightly in her hand when she read what it said on the screen, '1 message; Finn'. She had to resist the urge to throw her phone; she really didn't want to deal with him at the moment. He was the reason for her current predicament. If he'd never told his mother about her pregnancy it wouldn't have gotten back to her parents, at least not yet, she would have had more time. She cursed silently and shoved her phone back into her purse; she was running out of time.

Quinn quickly went over to her closet and grabbed as many articles of clothing as she could, trying to select as many dresses as she could, they would take up less room than a two piece and space was precious in her duffle. When her bag was nearly full she looked around her room to see if there was anything else that she absolutely couldn't live without. It only took her a couple seconds to conclude that everything else was expendable. She threw the duffle bag over her shoulder and walked out of her room. She hurried down the stairs and walked past the entryway to the living room, pausing for a moment to look at her parents. Her mother was in a similar position from how she last saw her, but now she had a glass in her hand, only then did Quinn notice a bottle of wine sitting on the coffee table. 'Why am I not surprised?' The blonde thought to herself, before her eyes fell on her father. He was in the same exact position he was in when she went upstairs. She wouldn't have been shocked if he was counting the seconds down for the time he allotted her. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath as she opened them again, she saw her father staring daggers at her.

"What are you still doing here?"

Quinn didn't say anything to him; she simply lowered her head, swallowing the lump in her in throat again as she quickly made her way to the front door. She fumbled with the door knob for a second before opening it and running to her car. She threw her duffle on the passenger seat and turned on her car and quickly pulled out the driveway, without any destination in mind.

* * *

End Ch.1

I'm only using some of the basic canon elements to make this story, but it will not follow canon. I've had so many different story plots I considered doing, I really love the 'On My Way' stories, but there are so many of them that I didn't really want to do another one. I love future fics as well, but ended up not wanting to go in that direction either.

I do want to stress again, that I am writing my other stories as well, this has just been in my head for some time so I just wanted to get it out. I also want to stress, this story isn't likely to be updated very frequently. Anyone who has followed any of my stories knows that I'm not very fast when it comes to updates, so I'll apologize in advance for that. As I said in the opening comments, let me know your thoughts on this story, interesting enough? R&R if you would be so kind :D


	2. Keep Holding On

Quintana friendship moments in this chapter, also a little Fuinn in this chapter as well, but it's a necessary evil to get to where I'm heading.

Disclaimer – It should go without saying, but I don't own any songs used here. :)

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Chapter 2 – Keep Holding On  
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Quinn drove around Lima for what felt like hours, but if her dashboard clock was to be believed, it was only a little over an hour. She was starting to get hungry so she made a quick run through the drive-thru at McDonalds. Her Cheerios diet, forgotten as her craving for french fries won out. Quinn pulled her car into a parking space and ate her food. Once she'd finished, she gave a count of the money she had on her, it wasn't much. 'I certainly don't have enough to stay at a hotel or anything…' Her thoughts were cut off, but her phone beeping. She looked at her cell and sighed, 4 text messages from Finn. 'I don't even remember hearing the other ones.' She thought ideally, but she really didn't want to be receiving messages all night, so she quick turn on her phone and opened her messages. Without even looking at what Finn said in his messages she typed, _I'm still not talking to you_. She quickly sent the message and hoped that would get her point across.

She turned her car on again and pulled out of her parking spot and started driving around again. It was starting to get late though and she was incredibly tired, so she knew had to figure something out. After another fifteen minutes of driving she realized she had to pull over somewhere or risk falling asleep at the wheel. She looked around for a place she felt she would comfortable enough to think for a few minutes. Her eyes spotted a restaurant she was very familiar with, Breadsitx. Not seeing anything better she pulled in to the parking lot and found a space far away from the entrance, towards the back of the lot. She turned off her car and leaned back into her seat, glancing at the clock, 9:44.

She sighed and thought of what options she may have. 'Maybe I should go to Puck's? He wouldn't turn away the girl he knocked up, would he?' She thought bitterly, her mind unconsciously going back to that night at Puck's. She shook her head, trying to free her mind of that fuzzy memory. 'No, I never want to be in that room again.' She told herself firmly. There were two things she was certain of after that night, she never wanted to touch alcohol again and she never wanted to be alone with Puck in his bedroom again. It wasn't entirely his fault, she knew that, but she's the one who had a baby growing inside her belly.

Quinn leaned her head on her steering wheel and hugged her stomach tightly. She stayed like that for some time, when she heard a tapping on her driver's side window, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. She glanced at the illuminated digits on the car's clock, 10:37. 'Did I fall asleep? Please don't tell me someone called the cops about me sitting here in the parking lot.' She slowly turned her head to see who was at her window, silently hoping she wouldn't have to explain to a police officer what she was doing, but when her eyes landed on who it really was, it was someone way worse.

'Why did I have go somewhere that is frequented by so many McKinley High students?' She asked herself as she begrudgingly lowered her driver's side window, it was too late to escape anyway, she'd already seen her.

"Quinn?"

"What do you want Berry?" Quinn mumbled, not even having the strength to use one of the many insulting nicknames she had for the girl. She just so worn out and she just wanted to be left alone, but she knew the tiny diva well enough to know that wasn't going to happen.

Rachel recognized the red Beetle parked in the parking lot when she and her parents arrived for dinner, as being owned by Quinn, but she didn't think anything of it. After all, she'd seen the girl at the restaurant many times before with Finn or even Santana and Brittany, the unholy trinity as they became known at school. So, yes she didn't think anything of it until she didn't see the girl anywhere in the restaurant, "Are you okay?"

Quinn laughed, she couldn't help it, it was just such a stupid question to her. She was sure the other girl thought she was insane, but she didn't say anything if she did. Once her humorless laugh ended, she turned back to Rachel, "I'm doing great, how about you?" She didn't even try to hide her sarcasm.

It was dark, but she still spotted a very full duffle bag on the seat next to the blonde. She didn't want to assume anything, but if she put all the evidence she'd seen so far, she had a good idea about what may have happened. "You don't need to deflect, Quinn. I can see that you've been crying, your eyes are all red and puffy, so I can see that something is clearly wrong. What happened, Quinn?"

"Rachel honey, are you coming?"

Quinn looked over the brunette's shoulder and saw a middle-aged man with glasses, "I think your father is calling you."

Rachel looked over her shoulder and called, "Just give me a few more seconds, Daddy." She quickly turned her attention back to the blonde in her car. She looked around for a second, as if contemplating something. Eventually her eye locked onto Quinn's, "Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?"

Quinn felt all the air leave her lungs at the question posed to her. She couldn't have heard her right, could she? She swallowed the stubborn lump in her throat, "W-What?"

The petite diva took a deep breath, "I asked if you need somewhere to stay tonight, because if you do we have a spare bedroom. Dad sort of uses it as a study, but really it's an extra bedroom and like I said if you need somewhere to stay…"

"Why would I need somewhere to stay?" She quickly questioned, not allowing the other girl to finish. She stared down the petite girl, but she should have known the other girl wouldn't even falter.

"Please don't do that, don't let your pride get in the way. I'm trying to help you if you'd just let me, Quinn."

Quinn stared at the girl she'd put through so much misery as if she'd grown a second head. She couldn't understand her no matter how hard she tried and really she should just stop trying and maybe she would regret it, but she just had to ask, "Why?"

Rachel looked down for a few seconds before looking back at Quinn and speaking, "Because I'd never forgive myself if I didn't."

Quinn looked away from the petite girl, unable to hold her gaze. Out of nowhere, Rachel was giving her an option, something she didn't think she had just a short time ago. She looked back at Rachel, who was looking at her expectantly, and was about to speak when another voice called out to the girl.

"Rachel, come on it's getting late and you have school tomorrow."

Quinn found her eyes looking at where the voice came from; it was a different man than had called her before. He looked like he was getting impatient, but she could hear the caring tone in his voice. Her father had always made sure she knew homosexuality was a sin against God, using the Berrys as an example, but she had never once heard her father speak to her in that same tone. She looked crestfallen as she shook her head. She had no right to enter the house of the girl she'd bullied, even if it was by her invitation, "I've kept you long enough and I should be going." She said and turned on her car and started to raise her window.

"You do have a place to stay then?" Rachel asked quickly before the window shut completely.

"Of course I do, Berry." She said and shut the window. Quinn saw her eyes were still watching her, but she couldn't back out now. The brunette took a couple steps back from the car and as soon as she did, Quinn backed out and made her way out of the parking lot, 'I really hope I don't regret that.' As she drove past the Breadstix sign, she realized there was actually one place she could try.

* * *

Quinn stared up at the large building, 'It's been a while since I've been here. I wonder if she's even home.' She thought as she grabbed her duffle bag out of her car and began up the walkway to the house. 'I wonder if she'll even let me in.' She thought as she reached the front door. She reached for the doorbell and with only a moment's hesitation she pressed the button. Quinn took her bag off her shoulder and placed it on the ground, rubbing her shoulder, the bag certainly got heavy over time. She took out her phone and looked at the time, 11:05, 'I hope she isn't asleep.' She thought and pressed the bell again. After a couple seconds, she heard some cursing on the other side of the door, followed by some Spanish she couldn't quite make out.

The door opened to reveal Santana with a hand on her hip, clearly already dressed to go to sleep, wearing only a pair of boy shorts and a cami. "You are so damn lucky that Brits isn't here…" Santana started to say when she looked over her fellow cheerleader, "Damn Q, you look like hell."

Quinn smiled weakly at the Latina, "Can I crash here tonight, Santana?"

Santana studied the girl on her porch for a moment; it'd been a long time since Quinn used her full name. She took a step back and to the side to give her access inside, "Get in, but you are telling me why the Hell you are showing up on my doorstep at eleven o'clock at night." All Quinn could do was nod as she walked into Santana's home.

The house was dark and quiet, which likely meant the Latina's parents were out of town, again. She didn't comment on it though, she just continued to follow the other girl to her room. Suddenly Santana stopped and pointed to the door to their right, "Get changed, then we talk."

"Thanks." Quinn mumbled and went inside the bathroom, dropping her duffle bag on the tiled floor. She knelt down and quickly rummaged through her belongings in search of something to wear. As she looked through the bag she realized that she didn't have her extra Cheerios uniform, 'It was hanging in my closet.'

"You can take a shower if you want, I'll be in my room. Do you remember where my room is?" Santana called from the other side of the door.

Memories of sleepovers with Brittany and Santana during grammar school entered her mind before Quinn called back, "Yeah, I remember."

"Ok well…don't be too long cause I needs my beauty sleep."

Another small smile cracked her expression at her friend's bravado, 'I've missed that.' They'd allowed themselves to get so caught up with who was on top, well really Santana and her did, rather than holding on to the bonds they'd already made. She didn't know if Santana would even acknowledge her at school tomorrow after she crashed and burned so spectacularly yesterday, but it didn't really matter at this point. She pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and a cami of her own to wear. She then proceeded to get ready to take a shower.

* * *

Quinn emerged from the bathroom refreshed. She did feel a little better, but she knew it would last. Looking down at her stomach, she regretted her choice of outfits. The camisole she wore showed her midriff and normally that wasn't a problem, because was proud of the work she did to maintain her body, she never wanted to go back to the days when she was overweight. However, showing midriff now made her small baby bump visible. She self-consciously pulled down her cami a little as she walked down the hallway to her friend's room.

When she reached the room, she saw the door was open and she had her light now inside. As soon as she stepped inside she saw Santana scrutinizing her, causing her to yet again pull her cami down uncomfortably. "Your bump is showing." The Latina stated.

"So you've heard…" Quinn said and stopped fiddling with her shirt, it didn't do any good anyway.

Santana smirked before rattling off, "That you're expecting, you got a bun in the oven, that you're a soon to be milf…"

"Ok, I get it, you know." Quinn said, cutting short what she assumed was a much longer list, as she blushed hotly.

Santana shrugged and got up from her bed and walked over to the other girl and draped her arm over her shoulders, "Yeah I'm pretty sure the entire school knows that now."

"I figured." The blonde said and looked down sadly.

"You weren't at Cheerios practice this afternoon." The Latina said as she led them both to her bed. When they reached her bed she sat down, bring Quinn with her as she added, "Or Glee for that matter." Quinn just nodded in acknowledgement, "Damn Dwarf and her stupid ideas…." She mumbled after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" Quinn asked and looked over to Santana, in the hope that she would explain further.

Santana shook her head as she remembered the diva's insistence, "The Hobbit wanted us to practice some song after glee saying something about wanting to cheer you up. Brits and I had Cheerios practice, so obviously we couldn't stay. I don't know if anyone did honestly."

'So that's why she wanted me to come to glee.' Quinn thought, allowing a small smile to cross her lips for a moment. 'I just shot her down though, just like her invitation.'

"You know coach Sylvester is going to make you run suicides until you pass out." Santana said breaking her out of her introspective.

Quinn couldn't suppress a chuckle at the other girl's statement. "That's if I'm even still on the squad. You know word has to have gotten back to her about me being pregnant, especially if as you say the entire school knows."

Santana nodded, she did have a point there. The room became silent for some time, she wanted to ease into the topic, but there really was an easy way as far as she could think of, so she just threw it out there, "Your parents found out didn't they?" She could feel Quinn stiffen at the question, making the answer obvious enough, which brought her to her next question, "They kicked you out, didn't they?" Quinn didn't say anything, but instead turned into Santana, surprising her slightly, burying her face into the Latina's shoulder.

Quinn was never someone she felt she had to protect, like Brittany, she was always strong, in fact it resulted in more clashes between them than she thought they'd ever have before high school started that is. But seeing the girl look so broken….she couldn't help but question if she'd misjudged the girl all along. "Damn it Q, what the Hell am I going to do with you?" Santana said quietly and held Quinn a little tighter. The only answer she received was a muffled sob from the other girl. Santana sighed, her eyes looking over to her alarm clock, 12:47, 'So much for getting a good night's sleep.'

They stayed in the same position for some time, until Quinn was finally no longer crying. She pulled away slowly and wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Santana looked at her shirt, "Whatever, it's fine. I do need a new top now though." She said and pulled off her camisole, revealing her bare chest, and walked over to her dresser, tossing her top in the hamper across her room.

Quinn blushed at her friend's lack of modesty, "Jeez Santana, do you always walk around half naked with a guest in your room."

"Oh please, I ain't got anything you don't." She said and selected another top, this time a red tank. She slipped her new top on and went back to her bed, to a still blushing Quinn. "It's okay to be jealous, I know I'm hot." Santana said and bumped her shoulder into the girl's.

"I-I'm not jealous." She mumbled under her breath.

"Wherever, Q." The Latina replied and glanced at her clock, 1:41. "It's getting late though and we should probably try to catch some sleep."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Quinn said and got up, "I'll head to the guest room. It's still down the hall?"

"You'd really rather sleep in a guest room, we never use, by yourself?" Santana asked disbelievingly. When she saw the other didn't have a response she spoke again, "Don't argue with me, just get your ass under the covers." She said and went to turn off the lights. As she reached her bed again she warned, "But I better not wake up to you spooning me, Q."

Quinn rolled her eyes as she got under the covers, "You wish." She shot back, but with a smile. She knew the Latina well enough to know she was just trying to lighten the atmosphere and maybe get her mind off of her current situation. After a few minutes of laying in silence, Quinn whispered, "Thanks Santana." The other girl didn't say anything immediately, making Quinn think she may had already fallen asleep, but she was proven wrong she got a response.

"Don't mention it. I know we haven't seen eye to eye much recently, but you're still my friend. I know I can be a bitch, but you, me, and Brit, we've always got each other's backs."

"I know. I know and thanks for that." Quinn replied quietly.

"Ok, enough of this mushy shit, let's go to sleep." The Latina mumbled and turned away from the other girl. Again the room became silent

"You want me give you a ride tomorrow?"

Quinn shook her head slightly, "There's no reason for me to knock you down too." She said pausing a moment to add, "Thank you for the offer."

"I'll still be here if you need…ya know a shoulder to cry on or another shirt to ruin." She said and laughed lightly at the end. When she stopped, she turned over and looked back at the blonde, "Brit and I will have your back if anyone tries to hurt you."

Quinn smiled, "Thanks S, but I'll be fine. I can take anything they hand out." 'At least I think I can, cause really what could be worse than my parents throwing me out…'

* * *

Classes weren't as difficult as she thought they would be, at least until Spanish rolled around. Every time she looked up, Quinn caught Finn looking at her, he looked hurt and confused, which only caused her to want to scream. 'He should know that I'm still pissed at him.' She told herself and focused on Mr. Schue. Despite her best efforts, Quinn could still see Finn looking at her the entire period and she really didn't want to deal with him yet. She'd done a good job of avoiding him all day, but she couldn't do that in the classes they shared, unless she skipped, but had no intention of doing that. 'Finn is going to have to just deal.' She looked at the wall and sighed, only ten more minutes and then she would be free of this suffocating room. From that point on, she made a conscious decision not to look in Finn's direction.

The bell rang signaling the end of the period and Quinn was up and out of the room before nearly everyone moved. Her lunch period was next, but she didn't want to deal with the crowded cafeteria, and all the stares that would go along with it. So, she went in the opposite direction. The bell was going to ring soon, so knew she'd have to go somewhere, she couldn't exactly work the hallways all period. Pausing for a moment, she realized she was almost at the choir room, 'It should be nice and quiet in there, and maybe I can get something off my chest.' Without another thought she made a beeline for the choir room.

Quinn stood in front of the door for a couple second and looked inside; it appeared empty as far as she could see. The bell signaling the start of the period rang through the halls as she entered the choir room and gave a quick look around, sighing in relief that it was empty. She didn't think there were any class in here this period, but that didn't mean someone wasn't in the room, but thankfully there wasn't.

She slowly made her way into the room and looked around. It was certainly strange without the other glee members inside and Mr. Schue going on about Sectionals and Rachel of course agreeing with him. She shook her head slightly and stopped in front of the grand piano in the room. Her fingers grazed over the shiny wooden lid that was propped open. She let her fingers glide over the black piano as she walked around it, until she stood in front of the keyboard. Her fingers floated over the keys, before she finally decided to sit down. Once she was seated, she hit middle C and closed her eyes as she listened to the sound resonate threw the room. When she opened her eyes she thought, 'The piano is in need of tuning, but it could be worse.'

Quinn took a deep breath and positioned her hands over the keys, 'I need to do this.' She told herself and placed her fingers the keys and begins to play.

_Nobody knows  
Nobody knows but me  
That I sometimes cry  
If I could pretend that I'm asleep  
When my tears start to fall  
I peak out from behind these walls  
I think nobody knows  
Nobody knows no_

_Nobody likes  
Nobody likes to lose their inner voice  
The one I used to hear before my life  
Made a choice  
But I think nobody knows  
No no  
Nobody knows  
No_

_Baby  
Oh the secret's safe with me  
There's nowhere else in the world that I could ever be  
And baby don't it feel like I'm all alone  
Who's gonna be there after the last angel has flown  
And I've lost my way back home  
I think nobody knows no  
I said nobody knows  
Nobody cares_

Quinn choked back a sob and stopped playing the piano for a moment. She took an unsteady breath and let her fingers dance over the keys for moment before she could find her voice again. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, controlling her emotions so she could continue.

_It's win or lose not how you play the game  
And the road to darkness has a way  
Of always knowing my name  
But I think nobody knows  
No no  
Nobody knows no no no no_

_Baby  
Oh the secret's safe with me  
There's nowhere else in the world the I could ever be  
And baby don't it feel like I'm all alone  
Who's gonna be there after the last angel has flown  
And oh no no no no  
Nobody knows  
No no no no no no_

_Tomorrow I'll be there my friend  
I'll wake up and start all over again  
When everybody else is gone  
No no no_

Quinn found herself pausing again as she tried to finish the song. This was harder than she thought it'd be, but she knew she'd feel a little better after finishing and that's really what she wanted.

_Nobody knows  
Nobody knows the rhythm of my heart  
The way I do when I'm lying in the dark  
And the world is asleep  
I think nobody knows  
Nobody knows  
Nobody knows but me  
Me_

Quinn reached up and wiped her eyes with her hands silently. She touched her stomach and felt the reminder of that stupid drunken night. "I wish I could…" She whispered to the empty room.

"That was beautiful."

Quinn jumped up from the bench she'd been sitting on and snapped her head to her left. Standing just inside the choir room, beside the door was Rachel Berry. 'How did I not hear her come in?' She questioned herself silently. The blonde teen stared at the other girl before shutting her eyes and sitting back down again, "It wasn't meant for anyone else to hear." 'I really don't want to fight.' She admitted to herself.

"I'm sorry; I usually come here during lunch." Rachel said and stepped further into the room. "There isn't usually anyone else here, so I was surprised when I heard someone singing. I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but as I said it was beautiful."

Quinn could feel her cheeks warm at the compliment; she hastily looked down at the keyboard. She didn't sing that looking for praise, she simply wanted to get some feelings off her chest, she simply chose a song that she thought conveyed her emotions at least a little. "Thanks." She mumbled quietly, though she was pretty sure Rachel heard her judging by the smiled that graced her lips.

"I didn't realize you could play the piano." Rachel mused aloud as she stopped by the piano.

Quinn smiled briefly at the mention of her playing, "I started playing when I was four, but I haven't played in a while so I was a little rusty. I messed up a couple times."

"I didn't notice."

Quinn eyed her suspiciously, "I doubt that, you have as good an ear for music as anyone, Berry."

A light pink hue adorned Rachel's cheeks as she spoke, "Ok, fine I'll admit I did notice, but it was all subtle. If it really has been a long time since you've played, I'd say you did an excellent job, I'm impressed. Thank you for the compliment, though you did acknowledge my musical aptitude in a roundabout way…"

"I can insult you if that makes you more comfortable." Quinn suggested, causing the other girl to stop midsentence. She could see her eyes widen, causing her to shake her head, "I wasn't being serious." She closed her eyes for moment before getting up, "I should go." She said quietly and started to walk out the choir room. 'I've already exposed myself enough with that song and to let Rachel Berry, of all people, in anymore, that would be unacceptable even if we are on a closer social standing now.' She was about to leave when Rachel's voice stopped her.

"Will you come to glee today?" Rachel asked hopefully.

Quinn stopped with her hand on the door, she thought about it for a moment, 'I am curious about what Santana said…' She wondered and bit her lips lightly before she came to a conclusion that was obvious once she really thought about it, 'Why am I even thinking this over…?' She turned and looked over her shoulder, "Yeah, I'll be there." She could see a smile form on the brunette's lips before she turned back to the door thinking, 'She needs to stop doing that too.'

* * *

The remainder of her classes seemed to flew by, she wasn't sure if it was because she was looking forward to glee or what, but she glad when 2:30 finally rolled around. When she was forced to join glee, she didn't think she'd ever be happy to be heading to something as stupid as show choir, but it had become a secret love of hers, really all the Cheerios that joined. Though Brittany had no problem vocally admitting to her love of being in glee, it let her dance to her heart's content and really there was no arguing with something that made her that happy.

When she stepped into the choir room, it was still mostly empty, aside from Mr. Piano, whatever his name was, and Rachel. The petite girl was sitting in the front, right in the middle of course, with her legs crossed as she looked over a paper she held. Quinn shoes clicked as she stepped further into the room, drawing the brunette's attention. Rachel smiled when she looked up and got up as the door opened and more glee members flowed in. Quinn continued to stare at Rachel, until an arm looped through hers and dragged her up the top row of chairs. She turned to see it was Brittany who'd taken her arm and she was of course flanked by Santana.

"Out the way Hobbit." Santana said and they walked past Rachel.

As they reached their seats and Quinn was sure they were out of ear shot of Rachel, who had taken her seat again, Quinn focused on the Latina, "Layoff the names, Santana."

She looked at her strangely, "Really? You've called her way worse."

"I know…just…" Quinn paused as she looked at the tiny diva, "Just leave her alone."

She still looked at her curiously, but soon threw a hand up dismissively, "Whatever, but if she starts to annoy me..."

After a couple seconds, Brittany leaned into Quinn's ear and whispered, "S says she gave you sweet lady kisses last night."

Quinn looked horrified at Brittany as she exclaimed, "What?! No!" She could feel the eyes of the other member the club looking at her strangely.

Brittany cocked her head slightly to the left, "But…she said you slept with her last night."

Quinn glared at Santana, but she only smirked back at her, clearly enjoying the other blonde's mortification. She turned back to Brittany when she realized she wasn't going to get any help from the Latina. Her eyes soften as she spoke quietly, "Brit, we slept in the same bed, that's all. There was absolutely no kissing I can assure you."

Brittany almost looked disappointed, "Oh, so you don't like sweet lady kisses?"

Quinn shook her head, "No, B I don't." She explained when she heard the door open again. Quinn looked up and saw Finn and Puck enter the room; he still wore the same sad confused look on his face from earlier, causing her to sigh and look away from him.

"You and Man-boobs fighting?" Santana questioned as she observed the blonde since Finn had entered.

"Yeah, something like that…"

Santana smiled slyly, "So you don't have any problem with me calling you boyfriend names, but you do have a problem with me calling the midget over there, names?"

Quinn turned to the other girl quickly and was about to speak when the door opened again and Mr. Schue walked and addressed the group of students.

"Good afternoon, everyone I thought for today…" He start to say, when a hand shot up, grabbing his attention. "Yes, what is it Rachel?"

"Mr. Schue I have a song that I'd like us to perform."

Mr. Schuester smiled, "I'm all ears."

"It was originally something I wanted to do yesterday, but we were down one member and it really would have defeated the purpose. So, since all of us are here today I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to sing, Keep Holding On."

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands to get there, "That's sounds like an excellent idea."

* * *

Quinn started the number beside Rachel, lined up beside the other girls; the boys were crouched down in a row in front of them. Quinn looked to her left and saw Rachel staring out into a nonexistent crowd, preparing herself to begin. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl was meant to be under lights of a stage, 'This is where she looks the most at home.' She thought when the brunette turned to her, as though she finally realized someone was staring at her. Rachel smiled one of her beaming smiles, making Quinn turn away as she again felt the tightening in her stomach. Quinn bit her lip lightly, 'How can she keep doing that to me?' The soon as the thought crossed her mind the music began, giving her no time to dwell on the thought.

Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha

_[Rachel:]_  
_You're not alone together we stand I'll be by your side you know I'll take your hand_.

Quinn could feel herself just about stop breathing as Rachel turned and met her eyes when she spoke the lyrics 'I'll be by your side'. All she could see was caring in those chocolate orbs, 'Do her eyes always sparkle like that when she sings?' She asked herself and tried to recall, but she couldn't remember a time she was this focused on Rachel as she sang. Seeing her up close as she belted out the lyrics, made her wish she had.

_[Finn:]_  
_When it gets cold and it feels like the end there's no place to go you know I won't give in_.

Quinn was broken out of her trance by Finn's voice beside her. She looked to her right and saw the larger boy. He looked at her briefly before he continued down the steps past her. She knew that she hadn't really spoken to him since the day before, but she hoped to see something more when he looked at her.

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_No I won't give in_

_[Everyone:]_  
_Keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through just stay strong._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Cause you know I'm here for you, there's nothing you can say_.

(_nothing you can say_)

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Nothing you can do _(_nothing you can do_)

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_ _so. _

_[Everyone:]_  
_Holding on_

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through._

_[Finn:]_  
_So far away I wish you were here before it's too late this could all disappear._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Before the doors close and it comes to end with you by my side I will fight and defend, I'll fight and defend ya yaaaa_

_[Everyone:]_  
_Keep holding on cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through just stay strong cause I'm here for you I'm here for you._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's nothing you can say (nothing you can say)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Nothing you can do (nothing you can do)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's no other way _

_[Everyone:]_  
_When it comes to the truth so keep holding on_.

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through. Hear me when I say when I say I'll believe. Nothing's gonna change nothing's gonna change destiny. Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly. _

_[Everyone:]_  
_Ya ya ya ya la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la  
KEEP HOLDING ON cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through just stay strong cause you know I'm here for you I'm here for you. _

Quinn couldn't hold back a smile at the lyrics. She knew she wasn't singing every time she was supposed to, but she didn't really care. And honestly, she didn't think she'd be able to get through all the lyrics if she had to._  
__  
[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's nothing you can say (nothing you can say)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Nothing you can do (nothing you can do)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's no other way._

_[Everyone:]_  
_When it comes to the truth so keep holding on._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through._

Again Quinn found herself face to face with Rachel and she could see that she meant every word of the lyrics she spoke. She couldn't help but think, 'What have I ever done to deserve these feelings from her? All I've ever done is torture her.' She could feel her eyes sting with an all too common enemy, tears. She couldn't look at the tiny diva anymore, without fear of breaking down and she certainly didn't want to do that because she didn't want show everyone how vulnerable she really felt and because she wanted to see this song through to the end. A song she didn't even know she needed to hear until she was in the midst of it, yet somehow Rachel knew.

_Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
_  
_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Keep holding on. _

_Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
Ha ha ha ha ha_

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Keep holding on. There's nothing you can say (nothing you can say)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_

_Nothing you can do (nothing you can do)._

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_There's no other way._

_[Everyone:]_  
_When it comes to the truth so keep, keep holding on._

Quinn felt a hand grasp hers and squeeze it tightly. She didn't need to look to know it was Finn. 'Maybe things can get better.'

_[Rachel and Finn:]_  
_Cause you know we'll make it through we'll make it through._

Quinn took an unsteady breath as the song finished. She looked up to the lights of the auditorium and closed her eyes, silently willing her emotions under control. After another deep breath, one more in control than her last, she opened her eyes and looked at her fellow glee members and smiled the truest smile she'd shown anyone in longer than she could remember. Her eyes landed on Rachel and she could see a large smile plastered on her lips. Her smile faltered slightly when felt a familiar tighten sensation, though in her chest this time. 'Maybe something's wrong with me?' She found herself questioning, because she knew this time it wasn't guilt. She continued to hold her gaze on Rachel as she spoke, "Thank you." She said sincerely and surprisingly steadily, because she really did want the other girl to know she was really did appreciate the song. Rachel opened her mouth to speak, when Finn stepped in front of her, blocking the brunette from her vision.

"You're not alone Quinn, I've wanted to tell you that all day."

Again Quinn could feel her eyes betraying her best efforts to remain composed, "R-Really?"

"Of course, you're my girl and I'll always stand by you." Finn said with a lopsided smile. The quarterback walked over and wrapped his arms around her. After a few moments, she found herself on the receiving end of a group hug as the rest of the members of glee joined in as well. She didn't think that everyone truly cared about her situation, but she appreciated the gesture. She looked around at everyone with a smile; however during her scan of the group she noticed someone was conspicuously absent. 'Where's Rachel?' She mentally questioned as she looked around again. She was nowhere to be found and when she realized that, her smile waned as she found herself surprisingly hurt that Rachel wasn't among them.

~~~~****~~~~  
End Ch.2

This chapter really came together a lot quicker than I thought it would. Hopefully Santana didn't seem OOC, we don't really get to see her softer side much, but I think I respected her character. Expect a little look into Rachel's head in the next chapter as well as more integration of other glee members, Kurt more specifically next chapter. I don't really have much else to say, aside from please review. Does it suck? Is it decent? Good? Let me know :)

Songs : P!nk – "Nobody Knows" and Glee cast version – "Keep Holding On" (Originally by Avril Lavigne). The song was performed as it was on the show, essentially.


	3. Why?

This isn't the same Rachel that fawned over Finn, I promise that and it will be clear in the first scene here.

~~~~****~~~~  
Chapter 3 – Why?  
~~~~****~~~~

It was the perfect song, she knew it was, but she couldn't help her disappointment when Finn stole her moment. She was on such a high while she was singing and she had the perfect response to Quinn's gratitude. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Quinn appreciated her song choice, but in the end she was still left on the outside of her universe. Quinn Fabray was still a girl on an entirely different league than her; she realized that even though she'd been different towards her that day. 'Maybe she was just grateful that I didn't say anything about our meeting at Breadstix.' She reasoned. There really was no reason to think the name calling and the insults wouldn't simply begin again tomorrow.

But despite everything Quinn had put her through, the near daily slushy facials throughout freshmen year and really most of the early days her sophomore year as well, the hateful names, and the constant put downs. She truly didn't hate the other girl. It did occasionally perplex her how she didn't hold more animosity toward the blonde, but she often reasoned that it did make her stronger in the end. Not only that, but it would make for great reading in her memoir when it came out and she chronicled her high school years. Though her belief that Quinn's actions towards her made her a stronger person, was only a part of it. That was a fact she'd come to realize.

That's not to say it didn't hurt, because it did, but things were just…_different_ where Quinn was involved. It wasn't anything she went out of her way to analyze, though the occasions she thought of explanations for _why_ she was different, it always went back to her first thoughts that crossed her mind when she first saw the girl, 'She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen.' Rachel shook her head of such foolish schoolgirl fantasies, there was no sense thinking about something that was impossible.

It was silly really, to have a crush on the girl that made life miserable since the start of high school. The fact that she was a girl really didn't bother her; she had two dads after all, so she never really thought of love as being gender specific. Though she didn't even really know if what she felt was love or if it was something else, like an infatuation. She couldn't even say that she'd had a real conversation with the girl until recently and love wasn't something you could develop from admiring someone from afar. Admittedly the romantic in her did kind of enjoy the notion of love at first sight, but that wasn't very logical. Being as pretty and popular as Quinn was, Rachel had no doubt that the blonde cheerleader was the object of many crushes, but much like her, they were unworthy of her. The reality was that Quinn was pregnant, that alone clearly showed that the girl would have no interest in girls, 'Not like I would have ever been on her radar, even if she had that inclination.' She thought as she reached the choir room.

She quietly entered the choir room and gathered up her stuff from the empty room. She was sure everyone was still in the auditorium and while a part of her felt bad for leaving, she figured she was due a little self-preservation from time to time. She took a deep breath, 'Keep your head high.' She told herself and clutched her pink binder to her chest. 'I'm just glad she smiled like that…' She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'I even got a thank you.' She told herself and allowed a smile to cross her lips then. She opened her eyes and spun around to leave the room. Those simple gestures gave her the smallest hope that maybe she had a chance to have a civilized relationship with the girl and maybe if she was really lucky a friendship. Either way, she wasn't going to give up on trying to bring out the better person she truly believed Quinn could be, especially if those little moments were any indication.

Rachel exited the room and made a quick stop at her locker to pick up her math textbook for a homework assignment. Once she was done there, she took out her cell and looked at the time, 3:23, 'Daddy will be here shortly.' And with that thought she made her way to the school's exit near the parking lot. She was just about ready to open the door that lead outside, when a voice caught her attention.

"I didn't expect you to want to sing that song for Quinn."

She turned around and sighed when she saw Kurt standing a short distance away from her, 'I almost made it without running into someone from glee.' "It was something she needed to hear." She could see the surprised look on his face, so she added, "Is it really that hard to believe that I would want to cheer someone up? Singing is all about conveying your emotions and I'll have you know…"

"I thought you hated each other?" Kurt said, suddenly cutting off the diva's rant.

Rachel looked away from the boy in front of her, instead focusing on her foot, which was currently restlessly fidgeting, "I can't speak for Quinn, but I don't hate her, I never have." She finished looking at directly at Kurt.

Another surprised look adorned the boy's features, "I must admit, I'm surprised after how she's treated you."

Rachel took a quick glance outside, to see if her Daddy was out there yet, he wasn't so she looked at Kurt once again. "I'm very aware of how she's treated me, but that doesn't mean I can't be the better person and try my best to show her that I can look past that and still want her feel better. That I can let her know despite how she's treated me that, I'll be there for her if she needs it."

Kurt nodded slowly, he could understand what she was saying, but he still could never see himself singing to his biggest bully, Karofsky. Because of that he couldn't shake the feeling that she was withholding something, "That's all it is then?"

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest in irritation, "Yes, Kurt that is all there is. I'm sorry if you are dissatisfied with my reasoning or is it that I would sing for someone else's benefit?"

"No, just that was for Quinn." Kurt said, reiterating his point from earlier.

Rachel sighed audibly and turned away from the boy, "Goodbye Kurt." She said and quickly started to make her exit, when Kurt spoke again.

"Okay. Okay, no need for a storm out." The teen said as he walked up to the door as well.

The brunette stopped again and turned around, "Can I help you with something? Because I really should be heading outside, Daddy will be arriving shortly and I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Yes, actually. I wanted to ask you about Finn."

Rachel looked at him suspiciously, "What about Finn?"

Kurt leaned against the door as he spoke, "Well, I noticed the two of you seem to have gotten closer..."

Rachel again found herself sighing, "Kurt, I've told you before. I don't have any desire to pursue Finn romantically."

He pushed himself off the door and stood up fully, "Be that as it may, aren't you a little concerned about Quinn? She's gone after you for less hasn't she?"

Rachel looked outside and smiled brightly as her Daddy pulled up. She turned back to the boy beside her, "I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for it. Quinn has nothing to worry about from me, I can promise that." She said and saw her Daddy waving to her, "I need to get going though Kurt. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and opened the door to leave.

"From one diva to another, don't let yourself get hurt." He said before she could fully walk out of the building.

She took a step outside, but held the door for a moment longer as she said, "I'll be fine, as the great Miss Barbara sang, 'Nobody is gonna rain on my parade'" She smiled once more at Kurt and hurried out into the parking lot.

* * *

As they left the auditorium, Finn took Quinn's hand while they walked back to the choir room to collect their belongings. She frowned when she didn't see Rachel there either, 'Why did she bail?' She questioned herself again as she released Finn's hand and went up the risers to grab her backpack.

"I liked that song." Brittany said suddenly, drawing Quinn's attention.

She smiled at her simple comment, "Yeah, so did I, Britt."

"I gotta admit the Dwarf made a pretty good song choice." Santana added.

Quinn turned to the Latina sharply, "Santana…"

"Fine, Berry." She mumbled disgruntledly, before adding, "I'm not gonna call her by her first name…that would be just…weird."

Quinn nodded, it was best she would do that was fine. 'It's not like I've even addressed her by her first name either.' She thought and saw Finn goofing around with Puck. She rolled her eyes, 'Are all boys such children?' She questioned and looked back at her two friends, "Be right back." Quinn walked up to Finn as he talked with Puck, but she ignored him, "I have to go to practice."

The larger boy turned around and smiled, "Ok." He said and leaned down giving the blonde a kiss on her cheek, "I'll see you after?"

She paused for a moment, "Yeah, sure." She finally said with a slight nod before turning around to join the other two Cheerios waiting for her by the door. As soon as she reached them they left the choir room and headed for the Cheerios' locker room.

Quinn trailed slightly behind Santana and Brittany and watched at their arms swung together, hand linked at their pinkies. A smile tugged at her lips, the contact that was so simple, but it bore a significance that no one aside from the three of them really understood. All too soon they reached their destination and the three girls entered the locker room, almost instantly the girls who were already inside stopped talking, They knew better than to say something that would get them on the wrong side of the unholy trinity. Quinn smiled as she thought, 'Maybe my concerns were unwarranted.'

"What do you think you're doing in this locker room?"

Quinn froze for a moment, but quickly collected herself, she knew better than to show any weakness in front of coach Sylvester. She turned with her head high, "I'm here for practice."

"You've definitely got some nerve, in my office now." She said and pointed toward a door across the room. Once Quinn started to make her way in that direction, she looked at the rest of the room, "Well, what all of you standing around for? Get on the field!" She exclaimed and stormed toward her office.

Quinn sat in the chair in front of coach Sylvester's desk. She did feel weird sitting in the room without her uniform on; she didn't have time to change. She took a deep breath, 'Don't show any nerves or she'll eat you alive.' She told herself as she heard the door click open.

Sue entered her office and quickly took a seat behind her desk, "I'm disappointed in you Q. I had once pictured you as a young, less pretty version of myself, but not anymore."

"I want to stay on the squad. I'm the best you have even if I'm pregnant." Quinn argued.

Sue leaned forward in her chair slightly, "You know what the judges are going to think when they see a pregnant cheerleader doing a handspring into a double layout? They're going to wonder if the centrifugal force is going to make the baby's head start crowning. Pregnant and cheerleading don't mix, you're off the squad. Now, get out of my office."

* * *

Quinn sat about half way up the bleachers and watched Cheerios practice with a crestfallen expression. She heard Sue already announce Santana's promotion over her megaphone. It didn't surprise her, though the Latina did appear to be. It was the most logical choice and if she wasn't Head Cheerleader, she was glad it was Santana. After the initial shock wore off, Santana went about asserting her authority. She knew the girls thought she was ruthless, but she simply demanded perfection from those around her, if she could master a routine in no more than two tries so should everyone else. Knowing the Latina like she did, she knew the girl would be far more ruthless than she ever was.

Her eyes drifted to right to the football practice field. It was amusing that the school's football team was regulated to the much smaller practice field, while the school's cheerleading squad got the big field. She recalled coach saying it was in her contract or something, even if it wasn't though the school knew where their money maker was, and it wasn't the football team. They were lucky to win half their games, where Sue's Cheerios never lost. Coach Sylvester might be crazy, but she got the job done. She rarely got on her bad side, but again that stupid drunken night had taken another thing away from her. Her popularity, her home, and now cheerleading had been taken from her. 'What's next?' Her eyes landed on Finn as he threw a pass.

Finn…he was the last remnant of the life she had constructed for herself. Everything was perfect, as it should be, the head cheerleader and the starting quarterback of the football team. They were the power couple of McKinley, but everything she worked so hard on had come apart so fast. She didn't have anything left to cling on to expect Finn, 'I'll be damned if I lose him too.' She thought when her eyes found Puck running down the field with the ball in his hands. She closed her eyes and looked away from the football team.

Her hands tightly gripped the metal bleachers on either side of her, until her knuckles turned white. 'If I had been in the right state of mind, I never would have let him touch me, let alone have sex…' She thought and covered her mouth as a wave of nausea struck her. She got up quickly and rushed down the bleachers. She scanned the area in search of the closest bathroom, she silently cursed her fate. There was no way she would reach a bathroom in time, so she quickly looked for alternatives. A trash can or behind the bleachers? Making a quick decision she turned back to the bleachers and stepped a little underneath them promptly threw up. She held on to one of the metal supports tightly, until she was finished.

Quinn pushed herself away from the support and walked a short distance to another metal support and leaned heavily against it. She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths, 'I really hope I don't have to deal with this much longer…'

"You okay babe, losing your lunch can't be good for the baby."

Quinn's eyes shot opened at the voice addressing her, "It's called morning sickness, Puck."

"I thought that only happened in the mornings?" Puck asked naively.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "It's whenever it comes. I'm usually fine in the mornings, it's the afternoon and evenings that I feel sick."

Puck looked down and kicked some dirt, "Oh, sorry about that."

Again Quinn found herself rolling her eyes, "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"Practice just ended actually. I saw you running off the bleachers, so I thought it I make sure you were okay." Puck explained and took a stepped closer to the blonde haired girl. He reached out to take her hand, but Quinn quickly moved out of his reach.

"Don't touch me, Puckerman." She said quickly and moved further away from him.

"Aww, come on my baby mama…"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Quinn warned angrily. Puck held his hands up defensively and was about to say something when someone else joined the conversation.

"Hey Quinn, you got dressed fast." Finn said as he walked up to the pair, completely oblivious to the tension between the other two teens.

"I never changed; coach Sylvester kicked me off the squad." Quinn explained and looked back at the Cheerios still practicing.

Finn looked over to where she was and sure enough cheerleading practice was still going, with Quinn here. "That sucks, I don't know what I'd do if coach kicked me off the team." He said and stepped over to his girlfriend and gave her a hug.

Quinn had to bite her tongue as she allowed him to wrap his arms around her. 'I swear the only way he can relate to anything is if he can relate it to himself somehow.' She thought and hugged him back. She briefly saw Puck watching her before Finn eclipsed the other boy, 'I'm going to have to lay some ground rules for him. He may have fathered this baby, but he is no father.'

Finn pulled back, "So you wanna hang out tonight? My mom wanted talk…"

"I'm sorry, I already have plans with Brittany and Santana." Quinn said quickly, cutting off what the teen was going to say.

"Oh…well, have fun." He said and grabbed his helmet, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She said with a small smile.

Finn nodded and started walking into the school, but realized Puck wasn't with him, "You coming man?"

Puck looked at Quinn for a moment before turning to the quarterback, "Yeah, I'm right behind you."

Quinn watched them until they entered the school, when she turned around and went back the bleachers. She chose a lower position to sit this time, only a couple rows up. She silently watched the rest of cheerleading practice, it wasn't anything different then when she last practiced, they were still working on mastering their routine for Sectionals. That was something that was very different than Glee and Cheerios, coach Sylvester already had their routines planned for Sectionals, Regionals, State, and Nationals. Coach Sylvester knew they would make it to Nationals and everything was just a stepping stone to get there, that was something Mr. Schue could learn from coach Sylvester, though there were plenty of other things she'd rather he didn't learn from her. 'I really don't think most of glee club could handle a practice like Cheerios practice.'

"Sulking in the bleachers, it's unbecoming, Preggo."

Quinn glared at the owner of the voice, "Oh, it's just you Ashley. I'm surprised you can still form a coherent sentence after how many times you fell out there. How many was it, five or six times, I stopped counting?"

Ashley seethed, "You need to learn your place, Fabray."

Quinn laughed at the other blonde, "And you think you're the one that's going to do that? You're just still pissed that I was named head cheerleader freshman year over you when you were a sophomore. And you know what, after I have my baby and become head cheerleader again, because you know I will, you can kiss Cheerios good-bye. So enjoy your last year on the squad." She said and looked back at the emptying field.

"You little bitch…" Ashley mumbled and started to head up the bleachers.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?"

Quinn looked to see Santana and Brittany standing on the edge of the field. The Latina glared at Ashley, who seemed to have lost her voice, "Get your ass off those bleachers and run five more laps around the field." She didn't say another as she stepped down on to the ground and ran back to the field. Santana watched to make sure Ashley was actually running, before turning to the girl beside her, "I'll be in the locker room in a second, B. I gotta talk to Q about something."

Brittany nodded and looked up at the other blonde, "See you later, Quinn"

"See you later, B." The former cheerleader said a smile and stood up. She made her way down the bleachers and stood next to Santana, "Can I crash at your place again tonight?"

Santana looked at her for a moment, but then continued to eye the blonde running around the football field, "I'm surprised you didn't go home with Finn."

Biting her lower lip lightly, she looked down, "I'm not ready to tell him about being kicked out yet."

"Brit's coming by tonight, so you are going to have to sleep in the guest room, unless you want to watch us…"

The blonde rolled her eyes at her suggestion, "No thanks. I don't need to see the two of you have sex. I've seen you make out and that's more than enough of an eyeful thank you very much." She knew from past experiences with the two cheerleaders, that they had absolutely no problem hooking up with her in the same room, no matter how uncomfortable it made her. They loved each other, even if they weren't exclusive, so she could understand their desire to constantly be all over each other, 'If I had someone like that, I'd probably be the same way.' She acknowledged.

Santana shrugged and said, "We'll straighten up the guest room when we get there then." Before focusing on the running blonde again.

Quinn nodded, "Thanks for doing this again San."

"Yeah, yeah. What have I told you about getting mushy?" The Latina asked and started to walk toward the football field.

"Right, sorry. I forgot you don't want to lose your reputation of being a bitch." Quinn said with a smile and shook her head.

"Damn straight and don't you forget it." She said and continued walking, "I'll meet you at my house, okay?" She said and paused to look over her shoulder.

The blonde teen nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you there." She said and took a couple steps toward the parking lot, only to pause and yell, "Don't kill her Santana, she isn't worth it!"

The Latina stopped and turned back, "I'm not gonna kill her, I'm just gonna make her life a living Hell." She said with a smile and broke into a run.

* * *

Quinn was blushing deeply as covered her head with her pillow, 'What are they rabbits?' She thought as she tried to drown out the sounds from the next room. 'Why did this room have to be right on top of Santana's?' She questioned and huffed in annoyance as the pillow did little to drown out the moans coming from the next room. She got up and went over to her duffle bag and searched around inside until she triumphantly pulled out her iPod. She frowned when her headphones weren't attached, so she dove back inside and felt around until she grabbed a wire and successfully pulled out her headphones. She quickly put the buds in her ears and selected at random song.

A smile formed on her lips, as her iPod did a much better job of obscuring the noises her two friends were making. She went back over the bed and sat down, finally taking a moment to pay attention to what she was listening to.

_What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
Too many, too many problem.  
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs  
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes  
Broken inside._

She shakes her head, 'Seriously, I randomly select 'Nobody's Home'?' She thought when another one of Avril Lavigne's songs invaded her thoughts. A small smile formed on her lips as she thought back to glee, well really preforming 'Keep Holding On'. She gave a quick look to see if she had the song, sighing when she came up empty. Going hand and hand with remembering their performance earlier, her mind went to Rachel. The pint sized diva sang that to her and she still didn't understand why. Not only that, she was still a little upset that she left glee so quickly. That left her with two options, confront the girl or forget about it and ignore her. 'I don't really want to forget about it though…I want to know why she sang that and how she knew what I needed her hear, better than anyone else.'

She was about to skip songs when she covered her mouth and jumped up from the bed, 'God, not again…' She thought and pulled her headphones out of her ears as she hurried into the bathroom a short distance away. She shut the door before finding herself in a familiar spot, leaning over a toilet, throwing up. It felt like forever before she finished, but she didn't feel any better.

"It's hard to get my mack on with you yacking in here…"

Quinn rolled her eyes, and was going to say something when she retched again. She held onto the toilet tightly as dry heaved painfully. Once she was done, she took a seat on the floor and leaned her head against the tank of the toilet. Her hand shook as she reached for some toilet paper to wipe her mouth. After wiping her mouth she threw the paper in the toilet and closed her eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Santana's voice again, "You doing okay in there, Quinn?"

Quinn just sat on the tiled floor and hugged her stomach, silently hoping she wouldn't attempt to throw up again, because she was pretty sure she didn't have anything left her stomach after that and as much as it sucked throwing up, dry heaving was excruciating.

"I'm going to come in." Santana said and before the blonde could offer up a protest, the door was opened.

Quinn looked up at the Latina weakly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, you have to see me like th-this" She said and looked down she felt her tears start to flow.

Santana sighed quietly and knelt down next her. She brushed some hair that had fallen into Quinn's face behind her ear, "Are you still going to be sick?" She asked gently.

Quinn shook her head slightly, "I-I don't know…" She said honestly.

The brunette nodded her head and flushed the toilet before taking a seat on the floor beside the other girl. She wrapped an arm around Quinn's shoulders, pulling her against herself, so she wouldn't be leaning on the toilet anymore. She frowned when she felt the blonde was shaking. "Britt, can you get Quinn a bottle of water?" Santana asked the other blonde, knowing she didn't do well around someone being sick.

Brittany, who stood in the doorway, nodded, "I'll be right back San."

Santana rubbed Quinn's arm as she spoke, "You cold?" She could see the other girl shake her head in response. Santana nodded and remained silent until Brittany appeared again with a bottle of water, "Thanks baby." She said and smiled at her as she took the bottle. She opened it and handed it over to the blonde on the floor with her. Quinn took the bottle and slowly brought it to her lips. After taking a healthy drink she lowered her arm and placed the bottle gently onto the floor. Santana waited a couple seconds before asking, "Do you still think you may be sick?"

Quinn looked at the toilet for moment before shaking her head, "No."

With a nod Santana got up and offered her hands to the other girl, "Come on, let's get off this cold floor." She said and waited for the sick girl to take her hands. After a few seconds, Quinn looked over to her and took her hands and Santana pulled her to her feet. The blonde wobbled momentarily, but Santana didn't let her go until she was steady. The Latina watched her for a few seconds before asking, "You okay?"

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, thanks." She began to leave the bathroom, when she saw Brittany standing by the door frame, "I'm sorry to have interrupted you guys, Britt." She muttered apologetically, as she walked past the other girl.

Brittany smiled at her, "It's okay, Lord Tubbington got sick over the summer too, when he tried to stop smoking."

Quinn stared at the other blonde for moment before a small smile spread across her lips, "Thanks Britt." She started walking again as she said, "I'm going to go lay down." Without another word she continued down the hall, until she reached to room she was in previously, right next to Santana's.

When she entered the room, she immediately went to the bed and laid down. She curled up and brought her knees to her chest, 'I'm so pathetic, I can't even take care of myself.' She thought and buried her face in her pillow. The tears that were threatening to spill from the time she entered the bedroom, finally spilled over.

There was a knock on her door causing her to jump slightly. She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed, but if the now dry pillow was any indication, she must have fallen asleep. After a few moments, she sat up and slowly made her way over to the door. Taking a deep breath she opened the door after looking around for a moment she asked, "Where's Brittany?"

Santana walked into the room and sat on the bed, "She went home, we kinda weren't in the mood anymore, ya know?"

Quinn looked down and bit her lower lip lightly, she could hear the disappointment in the other girl's voice, "I'm really sorry, San." She said and joined her on the bed.

Santana shrugged, "Whatever, we got a little sexy time in."

Quinn nodded, "I feel like shit if that helps."

"It doesn't. I don't want you to feel like shit." She said and paused before adding, "Brits wanted me to tell you that she hopes you feel better.

Quinn smiled, "That was sweet of her."

They sat in silence for a while, when Santana finally spoke, "Have you even decided what you are going to? About the baby, I mean."

"I've thought about it." Quinn said simply.

"And?" Santana prompted.

Quinn looked down and studied her hands as she nervously played with the fabric of her dress, "A part of me wants to keep her, but another part of me, the more logical part, is saying that I should give her up for adoption."

The Latina nodded, she was still clearly thinking about what she was going to do and it really wasn't her place to say anything one way or another. "What about doctor appointments?" She asked, it was a question that had been on her mind since she watched the girl look so pitifully sick in the bathroom.

Quinn wasn't as hesitant to answer that question, "I need to go back, but they are so expensive though and I don't have the money…"

"What about Finn? What the Hell is he doing to take care of you and the baby?" Santana asked, quickly cutting the other girl off. Again, Quinn couldn't maintain eye contact with her friend, but that only brought on another question, "What aren't you saying, Quinn?" Quinn closed her eyes tightly when she felt them fill with tears, but that only allowed them to escape her eyes. She hunched forward and held her face in her hands. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her back, "You can tell me whatever it is."

Swallowing a lump that had stubbornly formed in her throat, "F-Finn isn't….he isn't the f-father."

"What? Well who is then?" The Latina asked quickly. She was surprised and a little relieved to learn that Finn hadn't procreated yet.

Quinn was silent for a time, but her tears had slowed so she was no longer leaning over. "Puck." She said, still not looking at the other girl.

"Are you sure?"

Quinn nodded, "Yes, Finn and I have never had sex."

Santana looked at the blonde curiously, "Wait…so how the Hell does he still think he's the father?"

Finally looking at the brunette, she explained, "I told him that I got pregnant when we hung out in my parent's hot tub one night and he prematurely ejaculated."

Santana had to hold back her laughter at not only the stupidity of the boy, but also how pathetic he was. 'I'll bet he got a boner as soon as he saw Quinn in a bikini.' She thought and quickly shook her head of the image of Finn with a hard on, 'Not something I want to think about.' She turned her attention back to the girl beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, "You have gotta take care of yourself though." Santana said and paused for moment, "My dad isn't due back until Monday, but I'll call him tomorrow and see if he knows someone that can help."

Quinn nodded slowly, she didn't want to admit that she needed help, but Santana was right, she did need to have a doctor she could see regularly. She didn't want to jeopardize her baby's health because of her stupid pride, 'I'll just have to make it up to her some time.' "Thanks, I'm sorry for being such a burden."

"Don't start with that again. I told you, I got your back." Santana whispered.

Quinn nodded again, "Thanks." She mumbled quietly.

* * *

Quinn parked her car in the student lot; she arrived a little earlier than she normally would. Finn had texted her that morning, asking if she needed a ride. She nearly said yes, when she realized he would go to her house, well former house, since she hadn't told him that she was at Santana's. So, she quickly told him that she already had a ride. Sighing she stepped out of her car and started to make her way into the school. She was glad tomorrow was Saturday, so she didn't have worry about school.

Once Quinn stepped in to the school her debate from the previous night as to whether she should simply avoid Rachel as she generally did or confront her about glee yesterday resurfaced in her mind. Avoiding her would work until glee, even the one class they shared, AP chemistry it would be easy to avoid her if she really wanted to because you mostly just worked with you lap partner. Then again avoiding her, would still leave her with her questions and she didn't like that option.

She was so caught up in her internal debate that she didn't realize she was just a few steps away from Rachel's locker causing her to sigh, 'I guess my feet, decided for me.' She thought when she saw a familiar scene playing out in front of her. She could see Karofsky walking down the hall with a large plastic cup in his hand. She looked back at Rachel, who was completely none the wiser. 'Why isn't she more aware of her surroundings?' She asked herself as she quickened her pace. She wasn't entirely aware of what she was going to do, but she wanted to do something. It was a bit strange if she actually would have thought about it, seeing as she had watched with a smile on many occasions that the tiny diva had been slushied.

"Hey! Man Hands!"

Quinn flinched momentarily at what Karofsky said, that was one of the many names she'd called her in the past, but also the fact that he was close enough to call to her, meant she didn't have enough time to warn her either. She was just about a step away and Rachel still didn't even see her, as she now faced Karofsky, and the way she saw it there were really only two options, push Rachel out of the way or…

Quinn took a step forward and faced the large football player as he reared the cup back and threw its contents forward. As soon as the cold liquid hit her face one thought entered her mind, 'What the Hell am I doing?' Quinn heard a gasp behind her, or did she gasp, she really didn't know at the moment. All she knew was that she was freezing and she wanted to get the Hell out of the hallway and into a bathroom. She wiped her eyes clean with her hand and dashed to the nearest bathroom. Thankfully there was one fairly close by and even better, it was empty. She quickly went over to the nearest sink and turned the water on, when she heard the door open.

"Quinn, why did you…?"

She looked over to see Rachel standing in the bathroom, but the petite girl didn't even get to finish her question because the door suddenly slammed open, followed immediately by an angry Latina yelling, "What the Hell are you thinking Q, taking a slushy for the Hobbit!?"

Rachel put her hands on her hips a looked at the Latina, "I do have a name Santana and I would appreciate it if…"

Santana quickly turned her attention to the shorter brunette causing her back away, "Why the Hell are _you_ talking to me? Don't think I won't go all Lima Heights Adjacent on you in this bathroom for getting Q involved in your slushy facials."

Quinn stepped closer to the angry brunette as she said, "Leave her alone, San. It's not like she ducked behind me or anything." Santana's eyes again focused on the blonde, but Quinn didn't back down under her death stare, "I just reacted, okay."

Rachel stared at the girl covered in blue slushy; she didn't know how to take that. 'Why would Quinn react to protect me from a slushy attack?' It was confusing. Though she could appreciate the gesture, she would rather have taken the slushy than to see Quinn covered in the sticky liquid.

"Reacted!? Are you serious?!" Santana shouted, almost challenging the other girl to give her a better reason than that, but Quinn simply shook her head and looked at the titled floor. "Ya know what, screw it! I'm done with this!" Santana yelled and stormed out of the bathroom mumbling, "Taking a damn slushy for the damn midget…"

Quinn stared at the door for a few moments when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look to the side and see Brittany smiling at her, she hadn't even realized the blonde Cheerio was in the bathroom as well. "She's just afraid that she won't be able to protect you now."

Quinn nodded, "I know."

"I'll calm her down." Brittany said and let go of her shoulder. She started to walk to the door, when she turned back to the other blonde, "That was really sweet of you to protect Rachel."

Brittany's last words caused Quinn again to look at the floor. She could almost feel a pair of big brown on eyes staring at her. She was tempted to bolt from the room, but she felt so disgusting and she didn't have the Cheerios' locker room to run to this time, so she just stood there covered in sticky blue raspberry slushy.

"You really didn't have to do that. It's not like I haven't been slushied before." Rachel finally said behind her, breaking the silence.

Quinn tensed at the girl's words. She didn't say them with any spite in her voice, but it still stung. She had directed many of those attacks on the brunette. She had every right to hate her, she deserved it, but for some reason Rachel chose to be nice to her, sing to her for that matter, but she really didn't deserve any of that. Maybe now wasn't the best time, standing in the bathroom with blue slushy dripping from her hair, but she wanted to know and the words came out before she could think on them further, "Why? Why did you want to sing that in glee yesterday?" She asked and turned around to face the other girl.

Rachel stared at her, looking a little surprised by the question, judging by her widened eyes. The petite girl stepped over the sinks and remoistened the towels in her hand before she looked back to Quinn, "Because…you were upset and I wanted to cheer you up." She said and looked down at her hands, playing with the paper towels in her hands.

Quinn silently watched her nervously fidget with the paper in she held. 'Is she afraid of my reaction? I could easily tear her down…but is that what I want?' She thought, when she recalled her thoughts as she lay in the bed yesterday, "I would have tortured you if our roles were reversed."

"I know." Rachel said with a sad smile and offered Quinn the towels she'd been holding.

Quinn stared at her intently, 'Even knowing that, she's still here…'

After a few moments of standing with her hand extended, the blonde made no attempt to take the towels. Rachel cautiously looked up and met a pair of hazel eyes looking back at her, analyzing her if she were pressed for a word to describe the way Quinn was staring at her. Rachel felt exposed under her eyes, causing her to unconsciously retract her hand, but she still couldn't look away. This was the closest she'd been to the Quinn and was certainly the longest she'd looked into her eyes. She knew her eyes were hazel, but the longer she looked at them, she could see they held touches of green and that only made them more mesmerizing to look at as far as Rachel was concerned.

"Will you help me?" Quinn asked suddenly.

Rachel blinked a few times to break herself out of her musings. "W-What?" She stammered out, not entirely sure she heard the other girl correctly.

Quinn looked away from her momentarily, glancing in the mirror across from her before looking back at her, "I said, will help me? You offered once before and I was, to put in kindly, a bitch, so if you don't want…"

"N-No, of course I'll help." Rachel said quickly and stepped forward, raising her hand with the wet towels. "Can I?"

Quinn nodded and watched the petite diva clean her face of any of the blue liquid. The moment she asked for Rachel's help, she knew what it meant, or at least she had an idea, but watching her meticulously clean off the sticky syrup, she knew things couldn't go back to how they used to be between them. She shook her head slightly, which drew Rachel's attention.

"What is it?" The brunette asked cautiously and took a step back.

Shaking her head again, "It's nothing, I'm just thinking." Rachel nodded and cleaned off the last little bit of blue remaining on her face, by her ear. 'No, it was before that.' She confirmed to herself. Santana was probably going to give her Hell for this but…. "Are you free during lunch today?"

End ch. 3  
~~~~****~~~

The little snippet of a song was as stated in the story, "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne and I claim no rights to the song. I promise I don't have a thing for her; it was just an easy way lead in to Quinn's thoughts that followed. I tried writing a longer Sue and Quinn scene, but I hated it, which is why it's so short. And I knew I wouldn't have any time to write over the next couple days and that was the only scene holding me up at this point, so I'd rather cut it down than delay this any further. The beginning of the next chapter will likely be Rachel's POV of the last scene, or at least part of it.

Umm, I don't really have much else to say, aside from thanks for reading this and leave some comments if you have the time. :)


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